Glow
by FiercestCalm
Summary: He lay for a moment, eyes closed and breathing hard, listening to Tony panting next to him. Finally he opened his eyes, smiling at his lover. Tony kept his eyes closed, brow scrunched together, and as if in slow motion Steve saw his hands move up to his chest, to his ribcage, ghosting against it.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story at all in a long, long time, and my first Avengers story ever. I hope you enjoy it.

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Steve Rogers stood in the doorframe, his eyes tracking Tony as he paced on the balcony. It was 4 AM and the rest of Stark Tower was quiet, and from the 80th floor, even the city of New York seemed to be sleeping. Steve found that he didn't need to sleep much these days, and when he did he was easily awakened by what used to be inaudible noises. Noises like the footfalls of a man on the next floor up.

He watched for a few moments silently. Moonlight made Tony's shadow stretch into his cavernous bedroom and it bent and swayed, rose and fell with the movement from outside.

Steve finally took a few long strides across the bedroom.

"Tony," he said quietly. Stark jumped, turning towards him with wild eyes.

"Jesus Christ, Cap!" He clutched at his chest, the arc reactor glowing blue around his fingers. "What the hell?"

Steve shrugged, trying to be unintimidating. For his first few weeks in the tower, he wouldn't have believed that Tony could be intimidated by anything. Stark swaggered around like he owned the place, like his name was plastered in lights in the New York skyline. In battle he faced any number of terrifying creatures, many ten times his size, without much more than a quip or a movie reference that Steve couldn't comprehend. Still, after settling down into his own space, Steve began to notice more about Tony. He saw him working in his lab, laboring long after his body should have given out. He heard him speaking quietly to Jarvis, and wondered if that computer was the only true friend the man had. He heard bottles smashing sometimes, and screamed curses.

They got along well enough. The tower was large enough that Steve and Tony only met if they wanted to, and they had gotten into the habit of eating together sometimes, having a night cap, even watching television on occasion. They argued more often than not and often went without seeing each other for days at a time, but they'd entered into something like a friendship. Bruce often stopped by to collaborate with Tony, and Clint and Natasha came every so often to say hello and catch up. Even Thor had once slammed into the balcony of the tower, and he and Tony drank and sang and laughed all into the night. But mostly it was Steve and Tony.

"Tony," Steve said quietly. "I don't mean to intrude. Sorry if I scared you."

Tony was too startled and tired to laugh it off, so he just stood staring at Steve.

"I, uh… I heard you up here. Just wondering what you're doing up."

"It's none of your damn business," Tony snapped, and turned away to look out at the city.

Steve frowned. "I'm just trying to be a friend here, Tony, calm down."

"I don't need a friend," Tony said, but it was in a quiet, desolate voice. They stood for a few moments, Steve staring at Tony's back, Tony staring down the 80 stories to the streets of New York.

"I… I dream." Tony began, not moving. "I dream about Afghanistan. About the men there. And the caves."

Steve stayed silent. He had read about Tony's capture and escape and seen video of the press conference right after. Tony had looked battered and sounded more vulnerable than Steve had ever heard him. He was morbidly curious about it, but never broached the subject.

"I wake up, and it's dark. I've got the glow from this," He tapped his reactor, "But it doesn't help. I remember the first time, the car battery, the wires, the pain. I feel like…" He turned then, and looked Steve in the eye. "I feel like I'm drowning all over again."

Steve nodded slowly. He raised an arm and settled it lightly on Tony's shoulder. "I have dreams like that. Of battle, and… and lost friends." He'd never told anyone, but it seemed safe, almost dreamlike on this balcony.

Tony looked straight into his eyes for a moment and Steve felt a jolt of some feeling deep in his chest.

"Not so different after all, are we Cap?" Tony said with a wan smile.

Steve reacted automatically. "Don't call me that."

Tony frowned and backed up, letting Steve's hand drop off his shoulder.

"Steve," the soldier said quietly. "Call me Steve. I'm not always him. The captain. Sometimes I'm just Steve."

With a flourish, Tony turned and walked back into his bedroom. "Well, Steve, feel free to call me Iron Man anytime. We should probably be getting back to sleep now, hmm?"

Steve looked after him, feeling a strange sense of discontent at the other man's return to flippancy. Tony sat on his bed and Steve kept his eyes on him until they wandered down and caught on his arc reactor.

"Wanna see it?" Tony asked with a small smile. Steve flicked his eyes up quickly, embarrassed. "No really, I don't mind." Tony slid his shirt off, letting the soft light of the reactor fill the room. Steve slowly walked towards him until he was standing right in front of him. He dropped to a knee silently and looked at the glowing heart in front of him. Steve swallowed and looked back up into Tony's eyes.

"Does it hurt? Can you feel it in there?"

Tony looked back at him seriously. "It doesn't hurt. It's kind of warm… feels comfortable. Cozy."

Steve reached out a hand and traced along the edge of the reactor. It did release warmth, and Steve pressed the back of his palm against it. Tony closed his eyes. Steve kept staring at it, lightly touching its ridges and leaning in closer for a better look. He finally traced his finger along Tony's skin where it met the device. His fingers tingled pleasantly. He felt strange, disconnected, and it felt like time was standing still, just he and Tony and this pale blue light in all the world. Tony released a puff of breath and Steve sat back, eyes wide.

"Tony, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so –"

The other man opened his eyes again and grabbed Steve's ruffled hair, pulling him up to meet his lips. Steve's wide eyes looked at Tony's closed ones, and before he could react at all Tony had pulled away slightly.

"Steve," he murmured, eyes closed. His forehead was knitted together with something like fear. Steve felt something clench in his heart and he buried his fingers in Tony's hair, pulling him down and crushing their lips together.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two of what I'm guessing will be a 4-part story. Slashy sex coming up, so steer away if that's not your thing.

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Chapter Two

Tony blinked at Steve, eyes wide and disbelieving. Any other time Steve would have been amused, always happy to catch Tony in an unguarded moment. As it was, Steve was staring right back, breathing hard. His brain was trying to slow him down, trying to remind him how big of a deal this was. His heart was shouting at him to move, to get going before something stopped him. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on Tony's.

"Is this okay?"

Tony raised a tentative hand and carded it gently through Steve's hair.

"Yeah. Okay with me," he murmured. "Is it…" he trailed off, eyes avoiding Steve's.

Steve answered with a kiss, more gentle this time. Tony's lips immediately responded and they stayed frozen this way, Tony on the bed, Steve kneeling before him, locked together. Tony backed off a little and Steve looked up. All traces of hesitation were gone, and his eyes were filled with fire. Tony slid off the bed and landed in Steve's lap, straddling him. The blonde gasped, and Tony could see his eyes darken with lust. They pressed together harder now, Tony moving constantly as he tried to create friction. Steve reached for his shoulders, holding him still and attacked his mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and running it up Tony's palette. Tony groaned around it, and Steve softened his attack, letting their tongues dance around.

Tony reached down and slid his hands under Steve's pajama shirt, feeling the inhumanly hard muscle. Steve hummed against him, arching up into the touch. Tony reached up, found a nipple, and tweaked it. Steve broke their kiss and looked at the other man, giggling a bit. Tony smiled back at him. Steve gently lifted him and placed him on the bed, then lay down next to him. He rolled over and began tracing light kisses up his neck. Tony writhed and tried to get closer, tried to touch as much as possible. Steve smiled against his neck and moved up, sucking gently on his earlobe. The other man let out a surprisingly loud moan, and they turned to look at each other and smiled again. Steve sat up and swung one leg around to the other side of Tony, hovering above him without touching him. He reached for the bottom of his shirt and began pulling it up slowly when Tony growled.

"Steve, for God's sake! Show me a little of that super soldier and quit being so gentle!"

Steve blinked down at him for a moment before gripping Tony's shirt and tearing it off him. Tony looked up at him with a wolf grin.

"That's more like it."

Tony grabbed Steve's shirt and pulled it off him, then started to shimmy out of his own shorts. Steve was staring down at the man in front of him, mesmerized. He'd seen Tony with his shirt off before, even mostly naked, but it wasn't like this. He was laid out just for him, soft hair curling on his chest, leading down to… Steve swallowed and pulled off his pants. Tony's chest heaved as he looked up at him, mouth quirked up in a disbelieving smile.

"Captain," he said, and reached his hand up, trailing it down Steve's smooth chest until it lay just above the curls of hair below. "I want you to fuck me."

Steve bit his lip and leaned over, licking a wet trail starting at Tony's chest and going all the way down. Tony held his breath as he looked down at him, Steve's lips poised just above his cock. Steve's tongue flicked out to lick a drop of precum off the tip and Tony grabbed at the sheets around him, body going tight. Finally Steve put his lips around Tony's cock and gave one long, hard suck before starting to bob up and down along it. Tony let out a strangled moan and moved his hands to Steve's head, grasping his hair and pushing him to go deeper. Steve began pumping the base of Tony's cock with his hands, head bobbing, eyes open and staring up at Tony.

"Ah… fuck, Steve! Fuck, feels like maybe…. uhn… maybe you've done this before…"

Steve stayed quiet, answering by firmly licking his tongue over the entire length of Tony's member. Tony shuddered, hands opening and closing on Steve's hair. When his fingers tightened and began to pull and his toes curled into the sheets, Steve pulled back. Tony's head was thrown back, tongue wetting his lips, whimpering for more. Steve moved up the bed, dropping light kisses along Tony's stomach. He reached his lips and caught them, and they lay for a long moment there, tongues caressing each other, hands touching skin. Steve moved, breathing quietly for a moment next to Tony's ear.

"Mr. Stark," he said lowly, "I'd like to fuck you now."

Tony moaned loudly, grabbing Steve's face and pulling him around for a frantic kiss, his body moving to rub against Steve's. He pulled away just enough to look at Steve with hooded eyes and whisper,

"My nightstand. In the second drawer. Hurry."

Steve drank in another look at Tony, draped over the bed, ready for him. He scrambled to the bedside table and opened the bottom drawer. Under a couple of books and an iPod, he found a small bottle of lube and some foil packages, the contents of which he could guess. He sat back up and Tony grabbed him, pulling him down for another kiss. Finally Steve poured a bit of the lube onto his fingers, and traced them lightly up Tony's thigh. Tony pushed against him and Steve pressed one finger inside of him. He began pumping it, slowly at first, then faster, and when Tony began to pant he inserted a second finger. His middle finger had a longer reach, and after a bit of stretching, he pushed it inside and Tony arched up off the bed, hands grabbing at Steve's wrist.

"Now," he growled, and Steve pulled his fingers out and eyed the foil-wrapped package. Tony saw, and sat up, grabbing one and ripping it open. He made eye contact with Steve and put the condom in his mouth, resting between his lips. Steve stared for a moment, then made the connection and drew in a breath. Tony bent down and put his mouth over Steve's cock, rolling down the condom torturously slowly.

"Unf… Tony, shi- seems like maybe… hnnn… you've done this before…"

Tony reached the base of Steve's cock and flicked his eyes up. For a moment he stayed there, then pulled back and grabbed the lube. He squirted a liberal amount on his fingers and began to slowly pump Steve's cock, hands slipping up and down. Steve growled, grabbed Tony, and pushed him onto his back, then positioned himself, pulling Tony's legs up onto his shoulders. They stayed in that position for just a moment, just time enough for their eyes to meet, both mirrors of lust. Steve pressed his cock up against Tony's entrance and slowly, agonizingly pushed inside. Tony let out a groan of mixed pleasure and pain, and when Steve wasn't going fast enough for him he pushed down, burying Steve to the hilt.

Steve nearly shouted, and he grabbed Tony around his chest and began to thrust in earnest. Soon he found himself with a complete lack of control, body moving with no stimulus from his brain. He slammed into Tony, rocking him back into the headboard and thumping it against the wall. Tony moaned, hands moving up to touch Steve on his chest, his face, his ass. Steve was in the perfect position and was hitting Tony's prostate on almost every thrust. Tony writhed beneath him, shouting and saying nonsense, peppered with Steve's name. Steve began a mantra, becoming louder with each thrust,

"Tony, tony, oh tony, yes, yes…"

With one hard thrust Tony arched against the bed, fingers curling into Steve's ass, toes curling into the sheets, and came all over his own chest, drops landing on his reactor and standing out in stark contrast. The sight beneath him nearly pushed Steve to the edge, and he closed his eyes, thrusting harder, gripping Tony's chest with all he had. He slammed into him one more time, heard Tony's scream mingle with his own moan, and collapsed onto the bed. He lay for a moment, eyes closed and breathing hard, listening to Tony panting next to him. Finally he opened his eyes, smiling at his lover. Tony kept his eyes closed, brow scrunched together, and as if in slow motion Steve saw his hands move up to his chest, to his ribcage, ghosting against it.

Steve sat up, suddenly wide awake. He pulled out gently and threw the condom off the side of the bed, then sat up over Tony.

"Tony? Tony, are you…" Steve's breath hitched in his throat as he looked down. Tony was not in ecstasy any more. His eyes were closed in pain, breath hitching, chest rising abnormally.

Steve stood up, off the bed, unconsciously backing up into a corner of the room. It was obvious. He'd broken Tony's ribs.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter three, sorry about the short wait. Thank you for all the favorites, story alerts, and especially reviews!

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Chapter Three

Steve stood with his back to the wall, staring down at Tony. His heart was beginning to race, and there was a slight temptation to fall into denial, to run. Soon enough he snapped back to reality and approached the bed again. Tony was lying in the same position, but his eyes were open now and his brows were knit in confusion.

"Steve?" He asked.

Steve took a deep breath and sat on the side of the bed, turmoil in his eyes.

"Tony, tell me what hurts."

Tony coughed, shutting his eyes again and wrapping an arm around his ribs.

"A, uh… a couple of ribs, I think. Steve…"

Steve shook his head, blinking a few times in quick succession. His hands hovering over Tony shook slightly, and after a moment he backed away.

"We've got to get you to a hospital, maybe SHIELD will-"

"No," Tony interrupted. "No, Steve, it's okay, we just need to wrap them, everything is fine." He let out a shaky breath and tried to meet Steve's eyes, but the other man was looking firmly at the floor. "Steve, you just… just lost control. In the heat of the moment. Happens to the best of us."

Steve finally looked at him, and set his hand as gently as possible on Tony's chest. He was beginning to breathe fast.

"Tony, I hurt you! I… God, I broke your bones! How can you just lay there and accept that?"

Tony shook his head, tried to sit up, and fell back on the bed again. He opened his mouth to speak, but began to cough again and curled in on himself in pain. Steve swallowed his feelings and gently pressed Tony back onto the bed. He had been trained in battlefield first aid, and he used it to gently press against Tony's ribs. He found two were broken, based on Tony's reaction to the touch, but they seemed to be well in place and not in danger of moving about.

Steve considered for a moment, then slid his arms under Tony and picked him up.

"We're going to the emergency room."

"Steve!" Tony cried as he was carried past the doorway of his room. "Steve, stop!" They had gotten to the kitchen before Steve realized they were both still naked. He looked down at Tony, and, forgetting the moment, smiled sheepishly at him. Tony smiled back.

"Don't think the hospital would appreciate this," he said quietly.

Tony smirked. "Well, some of them certainly would, but let's get dressed just in case, hm?"

Steve sobered. "Tony, I'm so sorry. I don't know how you can even be near me…"

Tony reached up and rubbed his knuckles against Steve's cheek in a surprisingly intimate gesture. "Let's talk later, okay?" Steve nodded. They headed back to the bedroom and Steve threw on his clothes before helping Tony into some sweats. He picked him up again, to loud protests from Tony, and carried him to the most comfortable car he could find in the garage. He placed Tony down on the passenger's seat, and the injured man stayed quiet, but Steve could see lines of strain and beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Steve was usually a very conservative driver, something he endured no end of teasing about, but he drove like a bat out of hell into the night. Only once he had made a couple of frantic turns did he realize he had no idea where a hospital was in modern New York. He cut a glance over to Tony, who was taking short breaths, but still awake.

"Turn right at the light after this one. You're going to go straight for half a mile or so, then there will be signs to direct you," Tony murmured, sensing Steve's distress. Steve followed his instructions, reaching a tentative hand off of the wheel to smooth Tony's hair. They arrived at the emergency room with no trouble, and Steve screeched the car to a halt outside the entrance. He moved around to the passenger side door and made to pick Tony up again, but Tony waved him off, seeming to gain a little energy.

"I can walk just fine," he scowled, and Steve hung back, suddenly unsure if he should be there at all. He watched Tony's back as he walked slowly towards the doors where a couple of nurses were already coming outside to investigate. He steeled his resolve and decided to see this treatment through, and Tony could send him away afterwards if he wanted. Which he _would_ want, Steve thought grimly.

He walked quickly and caught up to Tony and the nurses. "He's got some broken ribs," he said loudly, and one nurse nodded while the other headed back into the hospital, sheparding Tony towards the registration desk. The nurse left outside looked behind Steve at his car and turned to him.

"Sir, you're going to need to move your car. It seems your friend is not in immediate danger, so it will probably be an hour or more before he is seen."

Steve stared at her for a moment before approaching her. She seemed nice enough, she was just doing her job, but Steve was in no mood to put Tony through more pain.

"Miss, I'm not sure if you've been watching the news lately, but that man in there is Tony Stark, billionaire and protector of New York. He has the power to buy and destroy this hospital if he wanted to, but he wouldn't, because he's a good man. He is in pain right now, and I would like that to stop. Now, I'm going to leave his car right here and we're going to walk inside, where you will take us directly to a private room in which a doctor is waiting. Tony is going to get the best and fastest care this hospital has to offer, do you understand?"

The young woman looked into his face for the first time and started.

"Oh my God, you're Captain – oh, oh yes, of course, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…" Flustered now, she nearly ran back into the hospital, Steve following her. She pulled Tony gently off his feet and into a wheelchair, speaking quietly and quickly to the woman behind the counter before pushing him as fast as her little body could down the hallway. Steve would have smiled in any other circumstance, but as it was his face remained grim. They arrived in a small but private room, and the nurse gestured Steve into it.

"Captain, uh, sir, if you could just wait here, I will take Mr. Stark to x-ray. He will be first in line, I assure you. It shouldn't be more than 15 or 20 minutes."

Steve eyed her and found she was calmed down a bit and had begun to smoothly do her job again. He nodded slowly and glanced down at Tony, who was looking at him.

"Steve, please don't worry, okay? Everything is fine."

Steve couldn't reply, and the nurse wheeled Tony away as he watched. He entered the room and sat heavily onto the one chair inside, dropping his head in his hands.

His thoughts were in a swarm in his head, incredulous at how his life had changed in the last couple of hours. He had known that he cared about Tony, he was his only real friend in this world. He had known that when he was in Tony's company he was happy, more often than not. That he loved listening to the man talk, even if he had no idea what he was saying. The suspicion that he… liked him had been lying under his conscious mind, and he had made an effort to keep it there. In his time he had felt certain feelings for his friend Bucky, and for so long he had kept them submerged. Finally they had both broken and begun a relationship, kept secret from everyone. Steve knew it was silly, that is was completely insane, but he still felt that Bucky's untimely death had been caused by their immorality, their secrecy, their happiness together.

So when he thought about Tony, he kept his feelings aggressively friendly, not letting himself consider any other possibility. And now… now Tony was in the hospital, after one night, after one hour of being together. Steve let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob and scrubbed at his eyes with his knuckles. Now he just had to wait and see what punishment was yet to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is the last chapter! Thank you all so much for your reviews, alerts, and favorites!**

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Chapter Four

_It's no-one's fault  
It's nobody's fault  
That I fell on you and you on me  
That's what humans do  
Then they pass on through  
But I think we can't, don't you?_

-Missy Higgins, "Peachy"

When Tony was rolled back into the room, Steve was still sitting with his head in his hands, gripping his hair.

"Hey Steve," Tony said softly. Steve's head shot up and he took in Tony, looking tired and attached to an IV trailing behind him, and the white-haired doctor standing next to him. Steve stood up quickly and looked between them.

"Is he alright? Are you alright?"

The doctor shot him a terse smile, seemingly unaffected by their celebrity, then looked down at Tony.

"Mr. Stark, do I have permission to share your medical status and treatment options with your friend…" He glanced up at Steve.

"Steve Rogers," Steve said nervously.

"With your friend Mr. Rogers?"

Tony nodded. "Yes, he can hear anything you have to say."

The doctor closed the door and sat in the chair Steve had been occupying just a second before.

"Well, your diagnosis when you entered the emergency room was pretty accurate. According to the x-rays, Mr. Stark-"

Tony interrupted him with a smile, "Call me Tony, please. Mr. Stark was my brilliant, rich, terrible father."

"Very well then, Tony. You do indeed have 3 fractured ribs," He pointed to them on a slide he held out, showing Tony's chest. The arc reactor stood out surreally on the x-ray. "Luckily they are not completely broken and will stay in place with no intervention from us. I know it hurt terribly when the injury happened, but…"

Hearing this, Steve shrunk back, but Tony anticipated this and held out his hand. Steve took it with some trepidation, holding it very gently. Tony rolled his eyes.

"The pain will begin to ebb immediately as the bones stitch back together. In the past doctors generally bound fractured ribs, just to be sure they didn't move, but today we find this restricts breathing too much. As long as you refrain from any particularly strenuous activities," Here the doctor smiled at Tony, "such as being Iron Man, for about two months, the ribs should heal just fine on their own."

Tony shot back, "What about sexual activities?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Steve, who pulled his hand away and sighed deeply. He couldn't figure out if Tony was serious or just playing with him, waiting for the doctor to leave before he got angry. He crossed his arms and looked back at the doctor.

"Sexual relations will have to wait at least three weeks, I'm afraid," The doctor said without missing a beat. "As well as anything that leads to increased heartbeat and respiration. Go about your daily life, but do be mindful of what you are doing and how it moves your ribcage. Now, I'm afraid there is not much we can do for you here. I will prescribe some painkillers for the next three days, after which you can take over the counter medication as needed." He paused and turned his words towards Steve.

"This is not a grievous injury, but when Tony came in he was slightly dehydrated and suffering from exhaustion. Proper nutrition and at least eight hours of sleep a night will help Tony heal faster and without complication. It is best if someone stays with him to help with anything he may need and enforce an eating and sleeping schedule."

Tony narrowed his eyes a little and began, "I don't need a babysitter, I'm a full grown-"

The doctor waved his argument away. "I don't care how it happens, but you must begin a healthier lifestyle, at least for the next two months. Now, the IV here is just to help with the dehydration. We'd like for you to stay until the bag is empty, then you are free to leave." He handed a sheet from his prescription pad to Tony, nodded to both of the men, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Steve," Tony started immediately.

"Tony," Steve said at the same time, and they both stopped. Steve began again, "Tony, I'll leave if you want me to. I can move out tomorrow, Fury can get me an apartment, and-" He paused, looking at Tony's wide eyes. He could see hurt in those eyes, and shock.

"Steve," Tony said quietly, "Why don't you tell me what happened. Why you did that." He mimed squeezing with his hands, and Steve winced.

"My God, I didn't want to hurt you, Tony. I'd never want to… I was just… we were just…" Speaking about sex in this brightly lit hospital room seemed depraved to Steve and a blush began rising on his cheeks. "It felt so good. I've uh… I've done it since I received the serum. With a man." The blush was a blazing red now and Steve's eyes were locked on the floor. "When I did it then, I could always keep some control because I knew I could hurt him." His eyes flicked up to Tony, who was listening seriously.

"Bucky?" Tony asked, and Steve started. "Saw in your file that you two were close, figured after you…" he pantomimed again, this time a lewd gesture with his hand and his mouth, "that you'd been with someone back then."

Steve nodded. "It was good. Great. But not like what we did." He finally made eye contact with Tony and maintained it. "I was overwhelmed. It was too much, I lost control. I'm sorry, Tony, and it's never going to happen again."

Tony looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I hope it doesn't. "

Steve flinched as if hurt. He knew it was coming, he just wasn't prepared, wasn't ready to have Tony taken away when he had just gotten him.

Tony stood up from his wheelchair and walked towards Steve, IV trailing behind him. He put his finger on Steve's chin and lifted it up, making sure they were eye to eye.

"I don't want you breaking my ribs again. What I want you to do is bruise me," he demonstrated by grabbing Steve's ass, kneading his fingers in it. "I want you to mark me," he stood on his tiptoes and sucked on Steve's neck, and when he pulled away there was a large red mark, already beginning to heal around the edges. "And I want you to scratch me." He put his hands up under Steve's shirt and dragged his fingernails along the length of his back. Steve had his eyes closed now, fists clenched, struggling to keep himself in control. He finally pushed Tony back with a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop, Tony," he said in a firm voice. "This isn't funny. I hurt you, and you shouldn't trust me not to do it again if we keep… I mean,_ I_ don't trust myself not to do it again."

Tony stepped back into Steve's face, determined. "Steve, come off it. You fractured a couple ribs, hell, that kind of thing happens in football all the time. And what we did was way better than football." When he saw Steve was still looking pointedly away from him, Tony's voice softened. "Steve, I do trust you."

Steve looked up at him then, searching his eyes.

"That's why I told you what I did on the balcony. I've been attracted to you since you moved in. Attracted to your smile, to your laugh, your beautiful body. I thought it was an impossibility, knew that coming from when you did, this," he gestured between them, "this kind of thing wouldn't happen. But it's in my reach now, Steve, and I'm not going to give it up because you're afraid of breaking me."

Steve looked into his eyes, then released a breath and gently pushed Tony back into the wheelchair. He sat in the other chair and moved it closer, so their knees were touching. Tony was staring back at him, naked vulnerability shining on his face.

"Steve, if you don't feel the same way, if you think what we did was a mistake, we don't have to…"

Steve shook his head immediately. "No. I… I really care about you. I have since I moved in. I want to be with you. But I won't do it if I'm a danger to you."

Tony sighed, started to get annoyed. "Steve, I don't care. It's worth it to be with you. We'll figure it out, okay? I'll be on top. We'll have a safe word. You'll wear boxing gloves." He smiled at Steve and the other man finally let a small smile creep onto his face. They stared at each other for a few moments, smiles growing. Finally, Steve leaned forward, close to Tony's face.

"Are we going steady now?" he asked in a whisper. Tony laughed then, a sincere, hearty laugh that probably hurt his ribs, but it filled Steve with joy. Tony grabbed his face and pulled him close and Steve joined him in a lingering kiss.

"No sex for three weeks," Steve reminded when they pulled apart. "No heavy petting either. No Iron Man. No staying up all night. No drinking."

"Hey, he never said no drinking!" Tony cried. "And can't we figure out some kind of understanding on the sex thing? Some non-strenuous stuff?"

Steve rubbed his fingers through Tony's beard affectionately. "Not with you. We'll take it slow, okay? Share milkshakes at the local diner."

Tony breathed out loudly, "Oh, I think I like you a lot, Steve Rogers."

Steve grinned a million-watt smile at him. "I think you're the cat's pajamas."

Tony reached out and grabbed his hand and Steve raised his other to Tony's arc reactor, resting it on the warmth there. They sat linked together, holding hands and watching the IV drip down.

**THE END**

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**If you enjoyed the story, please review!**


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